For nature for you

As leading independent conservation organisation, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), celebrates its 50th anniversary, it has launched its first integrated brand campaign in South Africa to reawaken the relevance of the brand for South Africans.

Dr Morné du Plessis, WWF South Africa CEO, says this campaign, “For Nature. For You.”, brings people into the centre of its communication: “Our work has always focused on bringing people and nature together but this hasn’t always been properly understood. “With this campaign we wanted to highlight the interconnectedness of people and nature and how we all depend on a healthy natural environment for our wellbeing.

Explains Kayli Levitan, creative group head at M&C Saatchi Abel, the ad agency tasked with developing the brand campaign, “The campaign idea is based on a core insight that, with so many socio-economic issues facing South Africans, the environment is not always top of mind for many people, particularly those of us who live in urban areas. We needed to find a way to reframe the brand message to show how vital the relationship is and that caring about the environment also encompasses caring for people. It was therefore an obvious choice to shoot the adverts in locations that not only show South Africa’s natural beauty but also its close proximity to the lives of everyday South Africans.”

The integrated campaign includes a brand TV commercial, with the idea extending into radio, out-of-home, and print media, amplification via a full PR roll-out, experiential activations, media partners and a digital campaign — with partnerships including Made, Tin Can PR, AndPeople and Mediology.

According to Du Plessis, message is simple: by supporting WWF, we can take care of nature in order to ultimately take care of you and your family: “We have received great support from media companies, with the campaign kicking off on BBC’s much-anticipated new Blue Planet II, a great brand fit and hugely exciting.”

Franchising experiences

Architecture and design studio, Xperiencemakers, was recently briefed to develop a distinct franchise identity driven by the personality of the Fairview brand and its owner, Charles Back. The result? A ‘nouveau meets modern organic’ experience.

Prominent wine and cheese producer Charles Back’s latest project, Back’s, is the first outlet of his planned organic deli-cum-restaurant franchise (The Butcher, The Baker, Cheese and Winemaker), situated in Paarl. Xperiencemakers was called in to transform a level-two heritage site on Paarl’s historic main road and create an organic market and restaurant space while allowing it to be scalable for future franchise opportunities.

Says Renee de Waal, founder and managing director of Xperiencemakers, “There is a strong interplay of organic materials set against a white and very fresh background. The entire experience is designed to reflect something fresh and wholesome, with installations that create numerous pockets of surprise.

From the signage through to custom-designed wallpapers and upholstery fabric, as well as shop-fittings and furniture elements that were crafted for the space, every aspect has been considered for the purposes of being translated to future franchise locations.

Back believes Xperiencemakers’ success rests on a shared philosophy of authenticity and innovation, paired with attention to detail and an ability to extract and amplify the quirky aspects of a brand to create something special and unique: “When you leave Back’s, we hope you leave feeling inspired to make even the smallest change towards a healthier, more-harmonious existence with our land, our animals and our communities. If so, we know we’ve done our job.”

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Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.

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